Where cats and anime matter

1. Separation Anxiety

Deep in the heart of Tokyo, a pair of thieves break into an old shrine and steal the contents- but what was intended as a simple burglary is about to have far greater consequences. For in a dark palace of crystal, a powerful and evil young girl watches the thieves destroy the shrine, and when they depart, she quickly takes control of the evil spirits that have been released, intending to use them for her own nefarious ends.

Far from Tokyo, the residents of the Masaki house are enjoying a beautiful spring morning. Whilst Ayeka recites a poem she composed during the night, Washu tests her latest invention- an inter-dimensional portal that teleports her out to Ayeka’s balcony. Meanwhile, Sasami tries to wake the rest of the house up for breakfast- only to discover that Nobuyuki is already awake, and Ryoko is sick in bed with a hangover from Washu’s super-potent home made sake. And as for Tenchi, well, he is nowhere to be found.

In fact, Tenchi is outside, deep in contemplation. As the others sit down for breakfast, he finally strolls back to the house, only to see Mihoshi and Kiyone returning from patrol. After catching a speeding spaceship, their shuttle runs out of fuel, and the two GP officers end up crashing into the lake.

Now that all the girls are home, Tenchi has something to tell everyone, but first, he would like to get a photo of them all. When Washu’s laser-powered camera proves to be a bit too dangerous, Tenchi switches to a conventional camera to take the photo. Naturally, the others are curious as to his sudden need to have a picture of them, so Tenchi finally explains what is going on. Dokuzen Tsuchida, a Shinto priest and friend of Katsuhito’s, has invited Tenchi to serve an apprenticeship under him in Tokyo, so that he will gain the skills necessary to become guardian of the Masaki shrine- and Tenchi has decided to accept his offer.

The girls are more than a little upset to hear that this means Tenchi will be living in Tokyo for the next two years, and they plead with him to stay- even suggesting that Nobuyuki go in his place. Finally, it is Ayeka who silences the arguments- Tenchi is free to do what he wants, and if this is what he has decided, then so be it.

After the girls bid him goodbye (all except Ryoko, who is still asleep in bed), Tenchi heads for Tokyo, accompanied by Katsuhito. The crush of the city is very different from the quiet life in Okayama, but the two eventually manage to find their way around. After dropping Tenchi’s belongings off at his new apartment, they pay a visit to Tsuchida, who welcomes them to the city and asks Katsuhito for a favour. A purification ritual needs to be performed a local construction, and as Tsuchida doesn’t have the time to do it himself, he would like Katsuhito to go instead.

Back at the Masaki house, things aren’t going well. Ever since Tenchi’s departure, Sasami has been depressed, so much so that she hasn’t even been able to cook dinner; instead, the gang must rely on Kiyone’s instant soup (only 500 yen per pack), but as Nobuyuki discovers, there aren’t enough packs to go around.

The next day, Katsuhito goes out to perform the purification, bringing Tenchi along to assist him. Even as he attempts to pacify the capricious spirits, however, the girl in the crystal palace decides to create quite the opposite effect, by awakening them instead. Undeterred by their appearance, Katsuhito performs an ancient banishment ritual, but despite his confidence that nothing can withstand it, all of the spirits seem completely unaffected.

Whilst Tenchi and Katsuhito run from the pursuing evil spirits, back home, Ryoko has finally awoken, and she is furious to discover that Tenchi has left without her even knowing about it. As Ryoko prepares to take her anger out on Washu for getting her drunk, Washu quickly pacifies her by suggesting they use the inter-dimensional tunnel to go and visit him. And of course, all the other girls want to come along too.

As the evil spirits continue to attack, the girls make their way to Tenchi through the inter-dimensional tunnel, and given the situation, he is very happy to see them. When the girls see their beloved Tenchi in danger, they quickly take action. Whilst Ryoko starts taking down the demons, Ayeka uses her powers to shield Tenchi and Katsuhito- even Sasami manages to contribute, by having Ryo-Ohki transform into a giant pink mecha for her to pilot. Finally, Washu delivers the finishing blow by tossing a bottle of her home made sake at the monsters. Kiyone shoots the bottle open, and as the deadly brew sprays out, the spirits are finally vanquished.

Back at Tenchi’s apartment, the girls bid him a reluctant goodbye- although they promise to return through the inter-dimensional tunnel as often as possible. As they leave, Tenchi’s thoughts turn to the future- starting the next morning with his first day at a new school.

The next day, Tenchi introduces himself to his new teacher and classmates, at least some of whom will hopefully become his friends. Taking a seat, Tenchi finds himself sitting next to a girl named Sakuya, who tells him straightaway that she thinks he is cute. But even as Sakuya introduces herself, Tenchi has no idea that someone else is watching- the evil young girl from the crystal palace. What do these new girls have in store for Tenchi?